From NEHJ: At Gunnery, opposites attract

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the
February 2011 issue of New England Hockey Journal.

One is tall and rangy, with a penchant for jumping into the play
offensively. The other is more at home in the defensive zone, and
the discipline he dispenses is not confined to the rink.

Senior defensemen Craig Wyszomirski and Adam DeSanctis play the
same position at The Gunnery, but they don’t share a whole
lot in common beyond that. The former just burst onto the scene
last season, while the latter is ingrained so deep in the
school’s fabric that he was elected head prefect, the top
student leadership position.

Together, they have a young Gunnery team off to an 11-4 start,
even as they make decisions about their own diverging hockey
futures. Their pasts and futures were and will be dissimilar, but
they’re united in the present to make the Highlanders as good
as they can be.

“Both boys can be excellent in their own way five years
from now,” Gunnery coach Chris Baudo said.
“Craig’s size obviously makes him more of a pro
prospect, and Adam probably will be captaining a very successful
Wesleyan team through the NESCAC.”

The 6-foot-4 Wyszomirski came to Gunnery, which is located in
western Connecticut, from the successful New Jersey Hitmen junior
program. He made an immediate impact, putting up 27 points from the
blue line as the team went 26-5-3 and reached the quarterfinals of
the New England tournament. In February, he was offered — an
accepted — a scholarship to Providence College.

“I was going to go the junior route, but (assistant) coach
(Craig) Badger saw me play at a Hitmen game and asked me to come up
for a visit,” he said. “My mom said we should just see
what it’s about. As soon as I stepped on campus, I loved
every second of it.

“When I walked off the campus at Providence, I felt that
same feeling I had on Gunnery’s campus. (Coach Tim Army)
offered me a scholarship, and my jaw about hit the
floor.”

His play captured the attention of NHL Central Scouting, which
ranked him as a ‘B’-list prospect, a rating that
denotes a potential selection between the third and fifth rounds of
the upcoming NHL draft.

“Craig uses his size well,” DeSanctis said.
“He’s probably a little more offensive than me. He
coaches our power play at the point, gets a lot of one-timers
through.”

On and off the ice, he’s enjoyed his abbreviated stay at
The Gunnery. He attended Don Bosco (N.J.) High School before
enrolling.

“He epitomizes the idea of flipping the switch,”
said Baudo, who also serves as the school’s dean of students,
“a complete gentleman with a sense of humor off of the ice
and a warrior on the ice.”

Like his friend and teammate, DeSanctis was also tabbed by
Central Scouting, getting a ‘C’-list rating. But his
comparative lack of size, combined with an academic focus and a
desire to play immediately, pointed him to Division 3. He recently
decided to attend Wesleyan in nearby Middletown.

“Adam is just so calm out there, a great leader,”
Wyszomirski said. “He’s very quick, transition-wise. He
can turn the puck up and skate. He’s one of our fastest
guys.”

While Wyszomirski will take more offensive liberties, DeSanctis
is all about defensive responsibilities and starting the rush, if
not finishing it. He entered the season with a career plus-minus of
plus-71.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a stay-at-home defenseman,
but I’m not as offensive,” he said. “Just want to
make the good first pass and let the forwards do what they can
do.”

“Adam just might be the most underrated defenseman in New
England,” Baudo said. “His reliability will translate
to the college level nicely, and we know that we can put him in any
situation. Adam is the rock that every team needs to be successful
— reliable, steady and determined to lead by
example.”

As head prefect, a position elected by students and faculty, he
serves as the top representative of the student body.

“You’re kind of the bridge between the students and
the faculty,” he said, then laughed. “A lot of meetings
to go to.”

The position can be serious, even sobering, at times. As head
prefect, DeSanctis serves on the select Disciplinary Committee,
which — among other things — determines which students
get expelled.

The Highlanders may be young this season, but there’s some
decent talent around the two defensemen. Senior forward Terrence
Wallin (Avon, Conn.) has committed to UMass-Lowell after putting up
15-26-41 totals last season. Senior goalie Bobby Segin has had a
strong year, with three straight shutouts setting a program
record.

And, as much chemistry as Wyszomirski and DeSanctis have
developed away from the rink, they’ve never really had a
chance to further it at the rink. Baudo has opted to pair them with
different partners.

“We’re good buddies,” Wyszomirski said.
“We do a lot of things together. Our (dorm) rooms are almost
right next to each other. Our locker stalls are next to each other,
so we’re cracking jokes all the time.

So, who’s the funny one?

“Oh, it’s me,” Wyszomirski said.

They’re hardly clones. But together, each in his own way,
the two have given Gunnery plenty to smile about this winter.